Olympia, WA
Olympia & Port Townsend Coffee: Two Ends of the Sound
A capital city and a Victorian seaport, both better at coffee than their size suggests
5 min read · August 2026 · By Gabe Petersen
The Quick Shot
Olympia's coffee sits downtown, where Olympia Coffee Roasting runs its flagship across from City Hall, The Owl's Nest anchors Capitol Way, and Ember Goods pairs espresso with retail. Port Townsend counters with Better Living Through Coffee's ten daily pour overs and Velocity on Water Street, plus finds like Bar Francis, Papaver, Conduit, and The Nest. Crema tracks 102 independent shops in Olympia, chains excluded.
These two towns are 75 miles apart and share almost nothing except a body of water and a stubborn refusal to be Seattle. Olympia is the state capital, which means legislators for four months a year and a permanent population of people who moved here specifically to not live in a bigger city. Port Townsend is a Victorian seaport at the top of the Olympic Peninsula that got rich in the 1890s, got poor immediately after, and consequently never tore any of its buildings down. Both have coffee scenes disproportionate to their size, both are built around a handful of small operators who roast their own, and both close early. You are not doing these in a day. Pick one, or take the long way around Hood Canal and make it a weekend. The reward for the drive is that neither town has been sanded down for visitors yet.
Local Grounds
Downtown Olympia
Fourth Avenue, Capitol Way, and the blocks toward the water. Bookstores, punk venues, and the state's densest cluster of independent coffee. Fully walkable.
Olympia's Waterfront & Westside
West of Capitol Way toward Percival Landing and the Westside. Quieter, more residential, and where a couple of the best small roasters ended up.
Port Townsend: Water Street
The historic downtown along the harbor. Nineteenth-century brick, working boatyards, and the tourist crush in July. Coffee with the ferry in view.
Port Townsend: Uptown
Up the bluff on Lawrence Street, built so the Victorian wives would not have to walk through the saloon district. Now the local half of town, and quieter for it.
Worth the Grind
Barista’s Notes
- 01Olympia and Port Townsend are a two-hour drive apart around the south end of the Sound, or a shorter trip via the Edmonds-Kingston ferry from Seattle. Treat them as two separate trips, not one.
- 02Rhythms Coffee in downtown Olympia stays open until 8pm most nights and 10pm on Friday and Saturday, with live music. It is close to the only late option in either town.
- 03Port Townsend's Uptown, up the bluff on Lawrence Street, is where Conduit and The Nest are. It is a five-minute drive or a steep ten-minute walk from Water Street, and it is where locals go when Water Street fills with visitors.
- 04Monday and Tuesday closures are widespread: Papaver closes Monday, Conduit closes Monday and Tuesday, The Nest closes Monday and Sunday, and Marina Café closes Monday and Sunday. Midweek is the best time to visit either town.
- 05Downtown Olympia is genuinely walkable end to end. Park once near Capitol Way and you can reach Ember Goods, The Owl's Nest, Bar Francis, and Papaver on foot.
High-rated, low-profile spots that don’t show up when tourists Google “best coffee near me.” You’re welcome.
Two small towns at opposite corners of Puget Sound, both punching far above their population. Browse every independent shop in Olympia and Port Townsend below.
Explore every coffee shop in Washington
Browse Washington on Crema →Quick Facts
How many specialty coffee shops are in Olympia?
Crema tracks 102 independent coffee shops in Olympia, WA. All chains excluded.
What are the most popular coffee shops in Olympia?
Bayview Restaurant, Blue Moose Cafe, Olympia Coffee Roasting are among the most-reviewed specialty shops in Olympia. See the full ranked list on Crema.
Are there laptop-friendly coffee shops in Olympia?
Yes — 11 shops in Olympia are tagged as laptop-friendly on Crema, with reliable wifi and room to work.
Are there coffee shops open early in Olympia?
1 shops in Olympia open before 7am. Filter by "Early (before 7am)" in the Crema app to find them.
Are there coffee shops with outdoor seating in Olympia?
6 shops in Olympia have outdoor seating. Use the "Outdoor seating" filter on Crema to browse them.
Are there dog-friendly coffee shops in Olympia?
4 shops in Olympia are tagged as dog-friendly on Crema.
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